Virat Kohli (L) and Rohit Sharma© X (Twitter)
The IPL has elevated the standard of Indian cricket to such a level that it can now field two to three national teams of same quality simultaneously, former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik said on Friday. Karthik lauded the role of the IPL in changing the mindset of Indian cricket and strengthening the infrastructure during a conversation with Mo Bobat, Director of Cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and former England cricketer Isa Guha at Padukone Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence.
“The IPL has brought out a winning mentality in all our players. With the influx of money and the financial benefits that a lot of the teams receive, and in turn the stakeholders, a lot of it has been put back in infrastructure. So, when infrastructure grows, eventually the quality of sport develops as well,” Karthik said.
He added, “We can say that since the IPL has become a part of Indian cricket’s fabric, they can now field two to three teams in international cricket at the same time, and almost compete with each one of them.
“Right now, India is in a very privileged place where they have such a good assortment of cricketers across skill sets.” Reflecting on his experience of sharing the dressing room with Glenn McGrath in the early years of the IPL, and how it shaped his approach to the game, he said, “For me the whole ideology of how Australia played at that time was a massive shock. They felt like a pack of wolves out to win every game.
“But with IPL, in my first year I got to spend time with Glenn McGrath in close quarters and practice with him, I got to know him better and became comfortable, that helped the confidence and mindset of competing with the best,” he said.
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